In the present day we are often conscious of cost and time as both normally work together. We often want something that costs as little as possible and takes the least amount of time to source and fit. However, going for the cheaper option isn’t always the right thing to do. Often when it comes to vehicle maintenance or repairs buying a cheap part could cost you more in the long run due to additional damage to surrounding components as well as replacing the original part that failed to start with.

As a brand of Freudenberg, the leading manufacturer of oil seals, we believe quality is key and we want to help you choose quality over cost.

This doesn’t just apply to cars and end users but also applies to Light Commercial and Commercial Vehicle companies as down time for their vehicles can have a big impact on cost more than anything. More downtime due to repairs means less vehicles on the road completing consignments for customers leading to less revenue.

Below we will run through the benefits of using original equipment over buying cheaper unbranded oil seals from within the automotive aftermarket.

·         Originally installed by vehicle manufactures – Corteco oil seals are selected by vehicle manufacturers and are installed into new vehicle while in production, demonstrating the accreditation in which the brand holds. If OE seals are good enough for vehicle manufacturers then why wouldn’t you replace like for like to ensure that it is maintained to the highest possible standard?

·         Better quality – As the aftermarket division for the largest seal manufacturer in the world, all products are made from high quality material that undergoes rigorous testing to ensure the parts meet the requirements set by the vehicle manufacturer.

·         Less likely to fail, due to the materials and testing mentioned above, this allows you and your customers to have confidence in repairs carried out on the vehicle.

·         Come with warranty – unlike many cheap replicas all quality and original equipment parts will come with a warranty allowing you and your customer reassurance that the part will not fail and if the part does fail prematurely then you can get this easily sorted by contacting the supplier and resolving this in a timely manner.

As these are only some of the benefits of using quality products over cheap replicas we believe it is right to share the negatives to buying a cheaper product.

·         Cheaper material, as replicas are trying to keep the cost of their parts down this often is done by using materials that are of a lower quality making them less expensive to produce and to sell on however, cheaper material means a lower quality part being pushed into the market.

·         No warranty – Unlike with quality parts, replicas often do not come with warranties, this allows them to reduce cost and to sell more parts in the market as failures will often be replaced by the same part causing a repetitive cycle.

·         Less miles before another replacement is needed, due to cheaper material being used. As the parts are cheaper the material will be weaker, meaning the pressure it can withstand will be less, causing it to fail more quickly. A part failing early can have an impact on surrounding components causing them to absorb leaks or take on additional stress this can result in bigger repairs being needed costing your both more time and more money.

·         Prone to premature failures this links back to all of the above points, premature failures occur due to cheap material wearing out or leaking quicker than OE parts.

Although the OE parts cost more initially you will save money in the long run due to the reliability and the parts being able to perform as expected in comparison to the cheaper parts. Just remember buy cheap then be prepared to buy twice.

Head to www.corteco.com/en/products/sealing to view Corteco’s sealing range which consists of oil seals and much more.